Migration Health Research to advance evidence based policy and practice in Sri Lanka

Despite the growing recognition of the importance that migration health plays in advancing global health and sustainable development goals, there is a paucity of technical guidance and “lessons learned” documents to guide Member States, international organizations, academia, civil society and other stakeholders seeking to develop effective migration health policies and interventions using evidence-based approaches. Governments today are faced with the challenge of integrating health needs of migrants into national plans, policies and strategies as outlined in the 61st World Health Assembly Resolution on Health of Migrants. Studying the health of migrants residing within and crossing national borders, across diverse linguistic and cultural gradients and with differing legal status pose challenges in evidence generation. The International Organization for Migration’s migration health research series aims at sharing high-yield scientific papers and analytical commentaries aimed at advancing migration health policy and practice at national, regional and global levels. The first book of the series is a two-part volume profiling the development of the National Migration Health Policy and intervention framework in Sri Lanka, which to a large extent was driven by an evidence-informed, multisectoral approach.